Noiseless pedal-action.



No. 829,004. PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906. C'. E. FDRSYTHE. NOISBLBSS ,PEDAL ACTION.

APPLIGATIOF FILED HAR. 8, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NOISELESS PEDAL-AQTN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. Q1, 1906.

Application filed March 6,1905. Serial No. 248,448.

To a/ZZ whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. FOR- sY'rHE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Noiseless Pedal- Actions and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable all others, as Well as those skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of' reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in noiseless pedal-action for pianos, for operatin the dampers or hammer-rail, or the mando in, harp, or soft-sto attachments.

One of the principe objects of this invention consists in providing a pedal-action as above referred to the construction of which is such as to avoid the disagreeable rubbing, scratching, and squeaking noise caused by most forms or styles of pedal-actions now in use, which not alone effects the harmony and lessens the sweet strains of the music by producing a discord and which is not alone very objectionable to ersons in general, but also to the player by istracting his attention and materially affecting his efforts in playing.

A further object of my invention consists in producing a pedal-action that while being simple in construction and inexpensive in cost of manufacture is yet more substantial and durable than most pedal-actions in general use.

Some of the advantages of my device as accruing from and the result of the carrying out of the objects as above referred to are that the device will last much longer and require less repairing, is more easily operated, and will act with much more accuracy and give more perfect results generally than most other similar devices now in use.

My invention consists, referring in general terms to the construction of iny noiseless pedal-action for pianos, of the pedal-foot, the lever and resilient and reacting members,

the pedal-rod, the regulator for the pedalrod, and the flexible and yielding support for the pedal-rod, and the novel and very pe culiar construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts, as will he hereinafter more fully described in detail and set forth in the subjoined claims in accordance with the statutes in such cases made and provided therefor.

In the annexed drawings, constituting a formal part of this specification, and wherein the same numerals and letters 0f reference indicate the same parts wherever occurring throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of one of my noiseless pedalFactions in operative position, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a broken-away sectional view in detail, showing the regulating means for the pedal-rod. Fig. 4 is a perspective View in detail of the yielding and reacting support for the pedalrod, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view in detail of the pedal-foot.

In describing my said invention in detail and referring specifically to the various parts of my noiseless pedal-action, as shown throughout the various views of the drawings and indicated by means of the numerals and letters of reference as aforesaid, 8, 9, and 10 indicate, respectively, one of the sides, the front, and the bottom portions of a piano or similar musical instrument to which my improvements are connected. i

A indicates a pedal-foot of ordinary construction, but much more simple in form than those in general use, and instead of being connected with the lever through the medium of a tie-bolt or other attachment is connected directly at c to bar B, so that when said pedal-foot is pressed said bar will be allowed to turn, twirl, or move slightly up and forward with the action of the pedal-foot by reason of the slight but sufficient yieldin of the resilient members C, which are pre erably in the form of Hat springs, two of which are securely connected at c to each end of the bar B, on the top and iront side thereof, as fully and clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, while the opposite end of each of the resilient members C is iirmly attached at d to a bearing-block e, which in turn are iirmly and rigidly attached to bottom portion 10, and as bar B turns slightly upward and over from the rear to the front, as just described, it raises arm F, which is provided with a concaved seat f, in which rests the lower end. of screw-threaded regulator g, so formed as to beadapted to rest and retain its bearing in said concaved seat, as it is forced upward when arm F rises, and with it pedal-rod ll with which regulator g forms a serewthreaded connection at h. (See Fig. 3.) As pedal-rod II rises, its top, which in lOO IIO

practice is provided with the usual soft cushl which said regulator may be turned or ion t, of felt or similar material, as shown in Fig. 2, comes in contact with the mechanism, such as the hammer-rail or various attachments of the piano, and will actuate or operate the same, thus producing the change in the sound, as desired, the piano-action not of course being necessary to be here shown, as it is no part of niy invention. As is clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, .a iiexible and reacting support I, preferably constructed out of suitable sheet metal, is provided with a broad strong base lc, by which it is lirmly secured to the side portion 8 of the piano-casing, while the opposite end l of support I is iirmly attached by a screw or otherwise (see more particularly dotted lines, Figs. 2 and 4t) to pedal-rod H, thus holding and supporting Said pedal-rod firmly in position, *et by reason of the yielding and reacting character of the su port I allowing of suliicient play or 11p-an -down movement of said edal-rod when edal-foot A is operated, as ieretoforc fully dlescribed.

It will be obvious and of course readily understood that While I have clearlv shown in the drawings bv means of dotted lines the end of flexible and reacting support I as connected to pedal-rod H by means of a screw inserted in a socket portion, it is not impor tant in what manner said support maybe connected to said rod, for in practice the simplest form which suggests itself may be employed.

By my construction of pedal-rod support I, as just described, I avoid the disa reeable squeaking and rubbing noise cause by the old objectionable style of rigid supports usually constructed out of wood and having a hole for the pedal-rod to rub up and down in.

It will of course be fully understood that the play or vertical movement of the pedalrod is very slight; but for the urposes of adjusting pedal-rod H to any s ight variations of s ace caused by contraction or expansion of tlie parts I form an eye or key-opening m` in regulator g, adapted to receive any small key in shape of a nail or similar article, by-

screwed until it is forced, by means of its pointed and screw-threaded end, either Way, according to the adjustment desired, 1n pedal-rod H, which is constructed out of hard Wood.

It will now be obvious and readily understood from the foregoing that as my device has so many Worthy features or elements of construction my invention. is of vast impor tance unto the art or industry to which it belongs.

Having now described my noiseless pedalaction and the construction of the same, what I claim as my invention is- 1. In a pedal-action the combination of the following elements, to Wit: the pedal, the bar connected directly to the pedal and provided with an arm, formed at its end with a concavity; the sprin plates, connected to said bar; the bearinglocks for supporting said spring-plates; the pedal-rod provided at its end. with a screw regulator adapted to rest in said eoncavity of said arm the metallic yielding and reacting support or sprin brace securely connected to said pedal-ro all substantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. The combination in a pedal-action for pianos, of the pedal pro er 5 the horizontal bar to which said peda `is connected; the arm pro`ecting from said. horizontal bar and provide with a concavity; the springlates connected to the ends of said horizonta bar; the bearing-blocks which support said springplates 3 the pedal-rod provided at one end with a cushion or soft portion; the screw regulator at the end of said pedal-rod adapted to rest in said concavity, and adapted to adjustably raise or lower said pedal-rod and the spring-brace for supporting said pedalrod which is connected to the piano-casing.

In testimony whereof Ihave aixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

y CHARLES E. FORSYTHE.

Witnesses JAs. O. HARTSHORN, BERNARD B. EWALD. 

